Doctoral study in Policy

Policy is powerful and its impacts far reaching. Our scholarly work spans public and social policy, education policy and curriculum-related policy. We contribute insights into how policy can and should shape the societies, communities, organisations and environments in which we live, work, play and learn.

Our work focuses on how the promise and risk of policy touches diverse stakeholders including children and young people, disabled people, indigenous people often with a social justice and equity lens.

Our work considers the impact of historic policy, interrogates current and steers future policy direction. It considers a range of policy stages, including design, adoption, implementation, and evaluation.

It speaks of (and to) policy as it relates to a range of contexts in the past, present and future, and at various levels including policy that is international, national, local and organisational.

We bring to our policy research, teaching and consultancy as well as a range of disciplinary lenses included sociology, psychology, leadership, critical theory, feminist theories, multicultural and indigenous perspectives. Our research utilises wide-ranging methodologies and methods including qualitative and quantitative approaches, problem-based methodology and comparative policy analysis.

Policy research takes place across the university, including in the Faculty of Business and Economics which houses the Inclusive Capitalism centre, in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, and in the Faculty of Law. This page presents the work of policy researchers in education and social practice in the Faculty of Arts and Education. We invite those interested in pursuing doctoral research in the policy field to reach out.

Pursue your topic with us and benefit from exceptional standards of support and supervision from nationally and internationally recognised researchers in the following broad research areas:

Curriculum studies

Louisa Allen, Maurice Cheng, Lisa Darragh, Fiona Ell, Katie Fitzpatrick, Kerry Lee, Kirsten Locke, Carol Mutch, Graham McPhail, Hayley McGlashan Fainu, John Morgan, Barbara Ormond, Jacinta Oldehaver, Peter O'Connor, Christine Rubie-Davies, Claudia Rozas, Elizabeth Rata, Alexis Siteine, Claire Sinnema, Jennifer Tatebe, Tauwehe Tamati, Tony Trinick, Rose Yukich

Educational improvement

Pat Bullen, Tim Baice, Tania Cliffe-Tautari, Fiona Ell, John Fenaughty, Camilla Highfield, Deidre Le Fevre, Kerry Lee, Mei Lai, Frauke Meyer, Stuart McNaughton, Barbara Ormond, Peter O'Connor, Rod Philpot, Claire Sinnema, Jo Smith, Tauwehe Tamati, Ema Wolfgramm-Foliaki

Education policy

Louisa Allen, Mark Barrow, Angel Chan, Tania Cliffe-Tautari, Lisa Darragh, Fiona Ell, John Fenaughty, Katie Fitzpatrick, Janet Gaffney, Kiri Gould, Camilla Highfield, Maia Hetaraka, Frances Kelly, Deidre Le Fevre, Kerry Lee, Mei Lai, Hayley McGlashan Fainu, Jude MacArthur, Stuart McNaugton, Roberto McLeay, Missy Morton, Barbara Ormond, And Pasley, Darren Powell, Claudia Rozas, Elizabeth Rata, Claire Sinnema, Ritesh Shah, Jo Smith, Rose Yukich

Social policy

Louisa Allen, Allen Bartley, Pat Bullen, Laura Ann Chubb, Tania Cliffe-Tautari, John Fenaughty, Maia Hetaraka, Eileen Joy, Missy Morton, Molly Mullen, And Pasley

'A history of the professionalisation of social work in Aotearoa New Zealand leading to the development and initial implementation of the Social Workers Registration Act 2003' | Supervised by Dr Barbara Staniforth and Professor Liz Beddoe

'A Socio-Ecological Approach to Improve Educator Wellbeing: Effects of the MARKERS Programme on Educator Wellbeing and Relational Space in a School' | Supervised by Associate Professor Claire Sinnema, Professor Alan Daly and Dr Joelle Rodway

'Faculty evaluation in higher education: a theory-of-action case study in Vietnam' | Supervised by Associate Professor Claire Sinnema and Associate Professor Mei Lai

'Intervening for Educational Improvement A Problem Based Methodology Approach to Understanding and Implementing Curriculum' | Supervised by Associate Professor Claire Sinnema and Emeritus Professor Viviane Robinson

'Knowledge in History Education: History Teachers as Curriculum Makers' | Supervised by Professor Elizabeth Rata and Professor John Morgan

'Raising Achievement and Reducing Inequity for Priority Learners: Intervening to Improve Middle Leaders’ Collaborative Problem Solving' | Supervised by Associate Professor Claire Sinnema

'Recasting the Subject: Curriculum, equity, and the educated ideal in secondary English classrooms' | Supervised by Professor Carol Mutch

'Teacher Collaboration, Advice Networks and School Climate' | Supervised by Associate Professor Fiona Ell and Dr Jennifer Tatebe

'Teacher Leadership: Lived Experiences of Community of Learning | Kāhui Ako Across Schools Teachers in Aotearoa | New Zealand' | Supervised by Professor Rebecca Jesson and Dr Camilla Highfield

'Youth Citizenship and Democracy in Conflict-Affected, Postcolonial States: Relating the Social and the Political in Myanmar' | Supervised by Dr Ritesh Shah and Associate Professor John Fenaughty

There are several scholarships you may be eligible for when you decide to pursue your doctoral studies in Policy.

• University of Auckland Doctoral Scholarships

Do you want to chat further about your studies? Contact us using the details below.

Email: foed-doct@auckland.ac.nz